E 475 
.51 
.R252 

Copy 1 



The Right Flank 
Gettysburg. 



AN ACCOUNT OF THE OPERATIONS 



GENERAL GREGG'S CAVALRY COMMAND, 

SHOWING THEIR IMPORTANT BEARING UPON THE RESULTS 
OF THE BATTLE. 



WILLIAM BROOKE -RAWLE, 

Secretary of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 

Formerly Captain Third Pennsylvania Cavalry and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 

United States Volunteers. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
Allen, Lane & Scott's Printing House, 

No. 233 South Fifth Street. 
1878. 



.5") 



> 



PREFACE. 



The favor with which the following article was received upon its first 
appearance in "The Philadelphia Weekly Times," of September 14th, 
1878, as one of the series of " Chapters of Unwritten History in 
THE Annals of the War," has suggested its republication. The 
limited supply of copies printed in pamphlet form from the type of 
the newspaper became exhausted sooner than was expected, and ad- 
vantage has been taken of the demand for more, to add a few notes, 
and to make some slight but immaterial alterations in the text. 

Philadelphia, October, 1878. 




Fold-out 
Placeholder 



This fold-out is being digitized, and will be inserted at a 

future date. 



THE 

RIGHT FLANK AT GETTYSBURG. 



It is but natural that the battle which proved to be the 
turning-point of the Rebellion should attract more attention, 
and be more thoroughly studied, than any other. To some, 
it may seem late in the day to discuss a new phase of that 
fearful struggle, but to those still living who there "assisted," 
the whole subject is one of interest. 

The " History of the Civil War in America," by the Comte 
de Paris, has been written to the end of the year 1862 with a 
degree of ability which is remarkable. In his search for the 
truth concerning the campaign of Gettysburg for his forth- 
coming volume, that author has loosened an avalanche of 
newspaper and manuscript communications, especially from 
" our friends on the other side," and he may well hesitate 
before attempting to reconcile the many disputed questions 
which have arisen. So peculiar do the views of some writers 
appear to us, that we begin to distrust the memory of those 
days, and almost to question the general belief that the bat- 
tle of Gettysburg was a victory for the Union arms. Some 
might be led to suppose that the dissensions among the Con- 
federate leaders, rather than the ability with which General 
Meade handled his noble army, brought about the results of 
the battle. Indeed, it is almost becoming doubtful to the 
minds of many of the participants in the battle whether they 
were even present, — so different from their recollections of the 
events do recent representations appear. 

It has been insinuated by a gallant Confederate officer 
(Major H. B. McClellan, Assistant Adjutant General on the 

(5) 



staff of General J. E. B. Stuart), who, if indeed he were pres- 
ent, might be presumed to have been in a position to judge 
correctly, that the cavalry operations on the right flank at 
Gettysburg resulted victoriously for his cause. That this 
was not the case will be shown conclusively. 

But little has been written of the operations of the cavalry 
during the battle of Gettysburg. So fierce was the main en- 
gagement, of which the infantry bore the brunt, that the 
" affairs " of the cavalry have almost passed unnoticed, yet 
on the right flank occurred one of the most beautiful cavalry 
fights of the war, and one most important in its results. It 
may be confidently asserted that, had it not been for General 
D. McM. Gregg and the three brigades under his command 
on the Bonaughtown road, on July 3d, 1863, that day would 
have resulted differently, and, instead of a glorious victory, 
the name of " Gettysburg " would suggest a state of affairs 
which it is not agreeable to contemplate. The neglect with 
which this portion of the battle has been treated is due, in a 
great degree, to the want of that self-assertion which was not 
uncommon among the officers of our Cavalry Corps. The 
skillful leader, gallant officer, and accomplished gentleman 
who was in command on the right flank has allowed his 
modesty and retiring disposition to stand in the way of his 
claiming for himself and his division the laurels to which 
they are entitled. The Second Cavalry Division, moreover, 
was not a favorite among the newspaper correspondents. 
None of them were attached nominally to its staff, nor al- 
lowed in its camps or among its men, — for its commander 
saw the mischief which they worked. He was appreciated 
the more for his rule, but there are instances of others thereby 
gathering in the ephemeral records of the times the glory 
which he had rightly earned, well knowing that no public 
denial would come from him. It is but tardy justice which is 
now being done to him and his command, and the importance 
of the operations on the right flank was never brought before 
the public until the recent appearance of Major Carpenter's 
able article, containing extracts from the official report of the 
Confederate General Stuart, of infinite importance to the his- 



7 

tory of the battle, but which the War Department, for some 
reason, has hitherto refused to the public.'^ 

General Meade, in his official report of the battle, merely 
refers to the fact that on the 3d of July " General Gregg was 
engaged with the enemy on our extreme right, having passed 
across the Baltimore pike and Bonaughtown road and boldly 
attacked the enemy's left and rear," and in his dispatches of 
that date he telegraphed in the evening to Washington : " My 
cavalry have been engaged all day on both flanks of the 
enemy, harassing and vigorously attacking him with great 
success, notwithstanding they encountered superior numbers, 
both cavalry and infantry." Swinton, in his " Campaigns of 
the Army of the Potomac," states that " during the action 
(July 3d) the cavalry had been operating on the flanks — Kil- 
patrick's division on the left and Gregg's division on the 
right," and, in a note, "the scope of this work does not per- 
mit the recital of the details of the numerous cavalry affairs." 
And Bates, in his " History of the Battle of Gettysburg," which 
contains some good material, gives a few lines to an account 
of the operations on the right flank, correct in the main, but 
he erroneously locates Stuart with his cavalry on the right of 
the Confederate line. 

In the official maps of the battle-field recently published 
by the War Department, the responsible duty of designating 
thereon the positions of the different portions of the contending 
armies has been assigned to Mr. John B. Bachelder. He also 
has paid but little attention in his studies of the battle to the 
operations of the cavalry, but in a memorandum, apparently 

■■•■ There has existed a wide-spread supposition that Stuart, with his cavalry, was 
not even present at the battle of Gettysburg. This is partly owing to the fact that 
after the battles of Aldie and Upperville Stuart became separated from Lee's army, 
and was prevented from joining it, or from being of any assistance to its com- 
mander during its movements preceding the battle, by the interposition of Gregg's 
and Kilpatrick's cavalry. Stuart was thereby compelled to make a wide detour, only 
reaching Lee on the 2d of July, and owing to this separation and the loss of the ' ' eyes 
and ears " of his army, Lee had, to a great extent, to move in the dark. To the fact 
of Stuart's absence from Lee's army many recent Confederate writers have attributed 
the results of the campaign, while others maintain that the two brigades under 
Generals Robertson and Jones, which did not accompany Stuart upon his independ- 
ent movement, were amply sufficien^for the purposes of observation. 



accounting for the absence in other places of the Confederate 
cavahy command of General Stuart, he makes a half-hidden 
mention of " Gregg's Cavalry " on the maps both of the 2d 
and 3d of July as being engaged on those days outside the 
limits of the maps. He has fallen into error even in desig- 
nating the roads on which those forces met. This may in 
some degree be owing to the fact that the official surveys 
from which the maps were prepared have not been extended 
sufficiently far to the east to cover the field of the operations, 
though an equivalent quantity of country to the west, upon 
which no events of consequence occurred, has been in- 
cluded. 

Even among cavalry officers a want of appreciation has 
been shown. General Pleasanton, who, though nominally 
commanding the Cavalry Corps at the time, was not with any 
of his divisions, but, according to his own account, near Gen- 
eral Meade in the rear of the infantry line of battle, instruct- 
ing his distinguished chief "how in half an hour to show him- 
self a great general," has recently written an article giving an 
outline of the valuable services of the cavalry of the Army of 
the Potomac preceding the battle. He omits entirely to men- 
tion the important part it took in the battle itself Though 
concluding in a general way with a glowing tribute to its ser- 
vices, it is difficult to ascertain from what he writes whether 
any portion of the corps of which he was the commander was 
actually engaged. 

And finally. General Custer, who was temporarily serving 
under General Gregg with his brigade, forwarded independ- 
ently an official report of the movements of his command, 
which, in some of its statements, is not entirely ingenuous. 
In the account referred to he has taken to himself and his 
Michigan Brigade alone the credit which, to say the least, 
others were entitled to share. 

The story of Gregg's fight has never been told. The task 
of telling it now has devolved upon the writer, who would 
have preferred that some other and abler hand had under- 
taken it. As it is, the following has at least the merit of 
being written by one who witnessed and participated in the 



events which he attempts to describe, and whose comrades 
are ready to sustain him in that which he relates. 

In the movements of the Army of the Potomac after cross- 
ing that river in pursuit of the Army of Northern Virginia, 
the Cavalry Corps of the former, with its three divisions, 
operated in front and on the flanks. General Buford, with 
the First Division, took the left flank, General Kilpatrick, 
with the Third Division, the centre, and General Gregg, with 
the Second Division, which was the last of the army to leave 
Virginia, the right flank. This disposition was maintained as 
well as could be, but when the column of Stuart was struck, 
Kilpatrick was followed up by Gregg. In the concentration 
upon Gettysburg, Gregg, with the First and Third Brigades 
of his division, left Hanover at daybreak on the 2d of July, 
and about noon took position on the Bonaughtown (or Han- 
over) road, near its intersection with the Salem Church (or 
Low Dutch) road, and about three miles from the town. The 
First Brigade, commanded by Colonel John B. Mcintosh, of 
the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, consisted, besides his own 
regiment, of the First New Jersey and First Maryland Cav- 
alry regiments, and Captain A. M. Randol's Light Battery E, 
of the First (regular) Artillery, four guns. It was temporarily 
depleted of one-half its strength by the loss of the First Penn- 
sylvania and First Massachusetts Cavalry regiments, which 
had been detached for service with the Reserve Artillery and 
the Sixth Corps, respectivel}/ . The Third Brigade, com- 
manded by Colonel J. Irvin Gregg, of the Sixteenth Pennsyl- 
vania Cavalry, consisted of his own regiment, the Fourth 
Pennsylvania, P'irst Maine, and Tenth New York Cavalry 
regiments. In addition to Randol's battery, a section of the 
volunteer battery belonging to the Purnell Legion was with 
the division until the night of the 2d of July. This section, in 
the hurrying movements of concentration, had become separ- 
ated from its proper command, and had been found, some 
days before, wandering around the country entirely on its own 
account. General Gregg took it along with him, and showed 
it some marching which astonished its fat and sleek horses 



lO 

and well-conditioned men. The Second Brigade of the di- 
vision, under Colonel Pennock Huey, of the Eighth Penn- 
sylvania Cavalry, had, on the 1st of July, been sent to 
Westminster, Maryland, to guard the army trains. 

Since crossing the Potomac, on the 27th of June, the col- 
umn had marched steadily day and night. Previously, it had 
been on incessant duty since the opening of the campaign on 
the 9th of June at Brandy Station, and now, having been for 
many days without food or forage, the division arrived with 
wearied men and jaded horses upon the field of Gettysburg. 
Its numerical strength had, moreover, been considerably re- 
duced, for many horses and men had dropped from exhaustion 
along the road. So much so was this the case that, in some 
regiments, it became necessary to consolidate the companies, 
reducing the number of squadrons in each to three or four. 

Upon reaching the Bonaughtown road, pickets were thrown 
out, connecting with the infantry on the left and extending 
well to the right of the road. The remainder of the com- 
mand sought a little rest and shelter from the scorching 
heat, ^I'hile from the ridges of hills could be seen the con- 
flict between the infantry and artillery of the opposing armies. 
About seven o'clock in the evening a line of Confederate in- 
fantry skirmishers, covering their main column, which proved 
to be a portion of Johnson's division of Ewell's corps, moved 
along our front to the attack of Culp's Hill. Screened from 
the position occupied by the cavalry by Brinkerhoff's Ridge, 
the enemy were not at first observed by the pickets, but a 
party of Confederate officers, making a reconnoissance to the 
summit of the ridge where it crosses the Bonaughtown road, 
disclosed their approach. The section of the Purnell Battery 
in position on the road near the Howard house planted two 
shells in their midst. At the same moment those portions of 
Mcintosh's brigade which were not unsaddled, and which 
were drawn up near the Little house, mounted and moved 
forward. Several squadrons of the Third Pennsylvania and 
First New Jersey plunged down the hill and across Cress' 
Run, then dismounted and deployed at the double quick. 
Coming to the summit of Brinkerhoff's Ridge, the enemy's 
line of infantry was observed approaching also at a run. 



II 

Along the summit there was a strong stone wall, which each 
party at once saw would command possession of the field, and 
each redoubled its efforts to secure it. The cavalrymen, how- 
ever, reached it first — the enemy being but some ten yards 
off — and poured in a volley fi"om their carbines which checked 
the advance of their adversaries. The enemy, after some in- 
effectual attempts to take the wall, retired to a more sheltered 
position about two hundred yards off, and heavy firing was 
kept up until after nightfall. In the meantime, some of the 
artillery with the division was employed upon the columns of 
the enemy's infantry, which could be seen moving toward 
Gulp's Hill in support of the bloody struggle for its posses- 
sion. About ten o'clock in the evening, in accordance with 
orders from headquarters, General Gregg withdrew the skir- 
mish line, substituting a picket line from the First New Jersey, 
and moved his command over to the Baltimore pike, where it 
took position on the south side of White Run, in the rear of 
the Reserve Artillery, and remained there during the night.* 
On the morning of July 3d, General Gregg was directed to 
resume his position on the right of the infantry line, and make a 
demonstration against the enemy. Finding General Custer's 
brigade of the Third Cavalry Division occupying his position 
of the previous day on the Bonaughtown road, Gregg placed 
his two brigades to the left of Custer's line, covering the right 
of the Twelfth Corps. A regiment was dismounted and de- 
ployed for some distance into the woods without finding any- 
thing in front. Scarcely had this been done, however, when 
about noon a dispatch from the commander of the Eleventh 
Corps to General Meade was placed in General Gregg's hands, 
notifying him that a large body of the enemy's cavalry had 
been observed from Cemetery Hill moving toward the right 
of our line. At the same time an order from General Pleas- 
anton, commanding the Cavalry Corps, was received, direct- 
ing that Custer's brigade should at once join its division (Kil- 
patrick's) on the left. Accordingly, Mcintosh's brigade was 
ordered to relieve Custer's, and to occupy his position on the 

* This position is within the limits of the official maps, but no mention is made of 
the two brigades thereon. 



12 

right of the Bonaughtown road west of the Salem Church 
road. 

In order to appreciate the positions of the opposing forces, 
it becomes necessary to examine the official report of General 
J. E. B. Stuart, now in the possession of the War Department, 
but which has never been published in full. After mention- 
ing that his advance (Hampton's brigade) had arrived in the 
vicinity of Gettysburg on July 2d, just in time to repulse an at- 
tempt by our cavalry (under Kilpatrick) to reach the rear of 
the Confederate line by way of Hunterstown, Stuart proceeds 
to state that he took position on the York and Heidlersburg 
roads. On the morning of the 3d he moved forward to a new 
position to the left of General Ewell's left, and in advance of 
it, where, from the elevated ground, there was a view of the 
country for many miles. He was thus enabled to render 
Ewell's left secure, and at the same time to command a view 
of the routes leading to the rear of our lines. His purpose, 
he states, was to effect a surprise on the rear of our main line 
of battle. It is obvious that he intended to accomplish this 
by way of the Baltimore pike, and the roads hereafter de- 
scribed, simultaneously with Pickett's attack in front. In the 
concentration of his forces for this object, however, Hampton's 
and Fitzhugh Lee's brigades, as he further states, unfortu- 
nately debouched into open ground, disclosing the move- 
ment, and causing the corresponding movement of a large 
force of our cavalry, and to this Stuart attributes his want of 
success. Although checked in his original design, neverthe- 
less, he adds : " Had the enemy's main body been dislodged, 
as was confidently hoped and expected " (by Pickett's charge), 
" I was in precisely the right position to discover it and im- 
prove the opportunity. I watched keenly and anxiously the 
indications in his rear for that purpose, while in the attack 
which I intended (which was forestalled by our troops being 
exposed to view), his cavalry would have separated from the 
main body, and gave promise of solid results and advan- 
tages." 

Stuart acknowledges that the position which he held was 
very strong, and he is fully justified in his description of it. 
A country cross-road branches off from the York turnpike 



13 

about two and a half miles from Gettysburg, and runs in a 
south-easterly direction toward the Salem Church road, which 
connects the York and Baltimore turnpikes. About half the 
distance to the Salem Church road, and a mile from it, the 
road crosses Cress' Run, and then rises to the ridge men- 
tioned by Stuart and known as Cress' Ridge. A moderately 
thick piece of woods on the right ends at the crest of the 
ridge, affording protection and cover to the supports of the 
battery which was subsequently placed there. Screened by 
the piece of woods, and on the opposite side of the cross-road, 
is a large open space on the Stallsmith farm, which enabled 
the Confederate leader to mass and manoeuvre his cavalry 
without its being observed from our position. 

Gregg's position was as inferior to Stuart's as the general 
line occupied by the main body of the Army of Northern 
Virginia was to that occupied by the Army of the Potomac. 
As Stuart says, the whole country for miles lay at his feet. 
The Salem Church road crosses the Bonaughtown road nearly 
at right angles, about three and a half miles south-east of 
Gettysburg, at the Reever house, and continues on about two 
miles further until it reaches the Baltimore pike about one 
and three-fourths miles south-east of its crossing over Rock 
Creek and the rear of centre of our main line of battle.* About 
three-fourths of a mile north-east from the intersection of the 
Salem Church and Bonaughtown roads, the cross-road above 
mentioned branches off to the north-west towards Stuart's posi- 
tion and the York pike. A piece of woods, which, since the 
battle, has been reduced in extent, covered the intersection of 
the Salem Church road and the cross-road on the side toward 
the enemy's position, extending about equidistant on each road 
from a lane leading down to John Rummel's house and farm 



* A country road, parallel with the Salem Church road, and from a half mile to a 
mile nearer Gettysburg, runs from the Bonaughtown road, at the Howard house, 
along the valley of Cress' Run, and strikes the Baltimore pike by the bridge over 
White Run, less than a mile south-east of the bridge over Rock Creek, near which 
latter, by Powers' Hill, we^the Reserve Artillery and the ammunition trains. This, 
being a more direct one than the Salem Church road, was used by our troops for 
operating between the Baltimore pike and the Bonaughtown road, and consequently 
the rear of our main line of battle was even more accessible by this than by the road 
above described. 



14 

buildings on the north to the Lott house on the south, a total 
distance of about a half mile or more. One side of this 
woods faced the north-west and the enemy's position. Be- 
tween the ridge on which the Reevcr house stands, and along 
which the Salem Church road runs, and the higher ridge oc- 
cupied by Stuart, is a small creek, known as Little's Run, 
starting from the spring-house at Rummel's. The Rummel 
farm buildings eventually became the key-point of the field, 
which lies about three miles east of Gettysburg. 

The force under Gregg numbered about five thousand men, 
though not more than three thousand were actually engaged 
in the fight which occurred on the ground described. It con- 
sisted of the three regiments of Mcintosh's brigade, Irvin 
Gregg's brigade and Custer's brigade, which, as will appear, 
remained on the field. This last, known as the " Michigan 
Brigade," was composed of the First, Fifth, Sixth and Sev- 
enth Michigan Cavalry regiments, commanded by Colonels 
Town, Alger, Gray and Mann, respectively, and Battery M 
of the Second (regular) Artillery, commanded by Lieutenant 
A. C. M. Pennington. On the other hand, Stuart had with 
him, as he states in his report, Hampton's, Fitzhugh Lee's 
and W. H. F. Lee's brigades of cavalry, to which was added, 
for the proposed movements of the day, Jenkins' brigade of 
cavalry armed as mounted infantry with Enfield muskets. 
This entire force has been estimated by reliable Confederate 
authority at between six thousand and seven thousand men.* 

When Mcintosh, with his command, came upon the ground 
shortly before one o'clock, for the purpose of relieving Custer, 
he found the latter in position facing Gettysburg, near the 
junction of the Bonaughtown and Salem Church roads, and 
covering them. In his official report of the battle, Custer 



-■■ It seems, however, that a disinterested and, therefore, more reliable, authority — 
the Comte de Paris — has estimated the numbers of the Confederate cavalry at 
from one-third to one-half greater than the numbers given above. It has been well 
said by a recent writer, referring to the statement made by Stuart in his report that 
the detachment of two brigades which did not accompany him into Pennsylvania 
wctfi strong in point of numbers : " As a rule, the forces on the Southern side are 
made out to be so nearly non-existent that one thinks of them as a shadowy army, 
like the ghostly troops which passed before the Emperor in the French picture of 
the 'Revue des Moris' " 



15 

mistakes the names of the roads on which he held position. 
He erroneously calls the Hanover or Bonaughtown road the 
York pike, and the Salem Church road the Oxford road. He 
states, however : 

" At an early hour on the morning of the 3d, I received an 
order, through a staff officer of the brigadier-general com- 
manding the division, to move at once my command and fol- 
low the First Brigade on the road leading from Two Taverns 
to Gettysburg. Agreeably to the above instructions, my 
column was formed and moved out on the road designated, 
when a staff officer of Brigadier-General Gregg, commanding 
Second Division, ordered me to take my command and place 
it in position on the pike leading from York to Gettysburg, 
which position formed the extreme right of our battle on that 
day. Upon arriving at the point designated, I immediately 
placed my command in position, facing toward Gettysburg. 
At the same time I caused reconnoissances to be made on my 
front, right and rear, but failed to discover any considerable 
force of the enemy. Everything remained quiet till 10 A M., 
when the enemy appeared on my right flank and opened upon 
me with a battery of six guns. Leaving two guns and a regi- 
ment to hold my first position and cover the road leading to 
Gettysburg, I shifted the remaining portion of my command, 
forming a new line of battle at right angles to my former 
line. The enemy had obtained correct range of my new po- 
sition, and were pouring solid shot and shell into my com- 
mand with great accuracy. Placing two sections of Battery 
M, Second (regular) Artillery, in position, I ordered them to 
silence the enemy's battery, which order, notwithstanding the 
superiority of the enemy's position, was successfully accom- 
plished in a very short space of time. My line, as it then 
existed, was shaped like the letter L, the shorter branch 
formed of the section of Battery M, supported by four squad- 
rons of the Sixth Michigan Cavalry, faced toward Gettysburg, 
covering Gettysburg pike; the long branch composed of the 
remaining two sections of Battery M, Second Artillery, sup- 
ported by a portion of the Sixth Michigan Cavalry, on . the 
right, while the Seventh Michigan Cavalry, still further to the 



i6 

right and in advance, was held in readiness to repel any at- 
tack the enemy might make coming on the Oxford road. 
The Fifth Michigan Cavalry was dismounted and ordered to 
take position in front of my centre and left. The First Michi- 
gan Cavalry was held in columns of squadrons to observe the 
movements of the enemy. I ordered fifty men to be sent one 
mile and a half on the Oxford road, while a detachment of 
equal size was sent one mile and a half on the road leading 
from Gettysburg to York, both detachments being under the 
command of the gallant Major Webber, who from time to 
time kept me so well informed of the movements of the enemy 
that I was enabled to make my dispositions with complete 
success. 

"At twelve o'clock an order was transmitted to me from the 
brigadier-general commandmg the division, by one of his 
aids, directing me, upon being relieved by a brigade from 
the Second Division, to move with my command and form 
a junction with the First Brigade on the extreme left. On 
the arrival of the brigade of the Second Division, commanded 
by Colonel Mcintosh, I prepared to execute the order." 

The remaining portions of his account require re-statement 
for reasons already mentioned. 

Upon notifying Custer of the orders to relieve him, Mc- 
intosh inquired as to his picket line and the position and 
force of the enemy. Nothing was said as to any previous 
firing, and everything was quiet at the time. Custer reported, 
however, that the enemy were all around, and that an attack 
might be expected at any moment from the right and rear. 
The First New Jersey, under Major Beaumont, was at once 
ordered out mounted to relieve Custer's lines, and took posi- 
tion in the woods on the Salem Church road, facing- to the 
north-west. The Third Pennsylvania, under Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Jones, and First Maryland, under Lieutenant-Colonel 
Deems, were drawn up in close columns of squadrons in a 
clover-field west of the Lott house, awaiting developments. 
While in this position, and a few minutes after one o'clock, 
the tremendous artillery firing which preceded Pickett's attack 
commenced. Not being in the line of fire, however, the offi- 



17 

cers and men of the brigade, while allowing their horses to 
graze, looked with amazement upon the magnificent spectacle. 

As soon as the Michigan Brigade had withdrawn from the 
field for the purpose of joining Kilpatrick near Round Top, 
Mcintosh, who had looked well over the ground, determined 
to ascertain what force was in his front without waiting to be 
attacked. Accordingly, about two o'clock he ordered Major 
Beaumont to deploy a strong skirmish line of the First New 
Jersey, and move it forward, under Major Janeway, towards 
the wooded crest about half a mile in front of him and a short 
distance beyond Rummel's, expecting there to find the enemy. 
This movement was a signal for the deployment of a skirmish 
line from Rummel's barn, where a strong picket force had 
been concealed, and which at once occupied a line of fences a 
short distance to the south. The First New Jersey, which 
had reached a stone and rail fence parallel with that occupied 
by the enemy, was dismounted and reinforced from the woods, 
and immediately became hotly engaged. Two squadrons of 
the Third Pennsylvania, under Captains Treichel and Rogers, 
were deployed dismounted to the left in the open fields, and 
another squadron of the same regiment, under Captain Miller, 
deployed mounted to the extreme right of the whole line, in 
the woods covering the cross-road above mentioned, which 
ran toward the enemy's position.* One squadron of the First 
New Jersey, under Captain Hart, remained drawn up mounted 
in the woods, in support of the line. To meet this movement 
the Confederate skirmish line was strongly reinforced from 
the woods by dismounted men, and a battery was placed in 
position on the wooded crest back of the Rummel house and 
to the left of the cross-road. 

The Confederate battery now opened fire, and Mcintosh 
sent back for Randol and his guns, at the same time inform- 
ing General Gregg of the state of affairs, that he was engaged 
with a greatly superior force, and requesting that Colonel 
Irvin Gregg's brigade be sent up at the trot to support him. 
That brigade was yet some distance off, and Gregg, meeting 



•'■ Captain Walsh's squadron of the Third Pennsylvania had been sent out on picket 
duty still further to the right, but was not actively engaged in the fight. 



Custer on the march in the opposite direction, ordered him to 
return and reinforce Mcintosh, and to remain on the ground 
until the Third Brigade could be brought up. Custer, ever 
ready for a fight, was not loth to do so. Wheeling his column 
about, he moved up at once to Mcintosh's support, and Gen- 
eral Gregg coming upon the field took command of the forces. 
In the meantime the enemy attempted to force our lines on 
the right, but their charge was gallantly repulsed by Miller's 
squadron of the Third Pennsylvania and Hart's squadron of 
the First New Jersey in the woods. 

The enemy having filled the large barn at Rummel's with 
sharpshooters, — who, while picking off our men, were com- 
pletely protected from our fire, — Captain Randol, upon coming 
on the ground, placed a section of his battery of three-inch 
light ordnance guns, under Lieutenant Chester, in position, 
well to the front, on the edge of an orchard, some distance to 
the left and beyond the Reever house, and opened upon it. 
Shell after shell struck the building, soon compelling the 
enemy to abandon it, and as they did so, the centre of our 
line advanced and occupied the enemy's line of fences and 
some of the outbuildings. Having thus pierced their line, a 
force was sent out to take the enemy in flank, while the left 
centre moved up to the line of fences, driving back the por- 
tions of Jenkins' brigade which had occupied it. This 
movement caused the left of the enemy's line, held by por- 
tions of Hampton's and Fitzhugh Lee's brigades dismounted, 
to give way also, and their position was at once taken. The 
left, the centre, and the right centre of our line was thus ad- 
vanced, while the right still rested on the woods on the cross- 
road, and the Sixth Michigan went into position along Little's 
Run, on the left rear of Treichel's and Rogers' squadrons, oc- 
cupying the space thus opened, at the same time extending to 
the left so as to cover the Bonaughtown road. Pennington's 
battery of six guns, upon arriving on the ground, went into 
position on the side of the Bonaughtown road, a short dis- 
tance west of the Spangler house and about two hundred and 
fifty yards to the left and rear of Chester's section. Between 
the two, Randol placed his second section, under Lieutenant 
Kinney, of the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, an officer 



19 

of the Reserve Artillery staff, who had volunteered to serve 
with the battery. By the accuracy of their firing and superior 
range, Randol's guns soon silenced the enemy's battery on 
the crest beyond Rummel's near the cross-road, and Penning- 
ton's, some guns in position more to our left. 

When the ammunition of the First New Jersey and Third 
Pennsylvania was becoming exhausted, the Fifth Michigan, 
armed with Spencer repeating carbines, was ordered to relieve 
them, and moved up, dismounted, to the front, along a fence 
which intersected the field lengthwise running at right angles 
to the skirmish line. The left came up to the line occupied by 
Treichel's and Rogers' squadrons of the Third Pennsylvania, 
behind a fence which was slightly retired from that occupied 
by the First New Jersey ; but before the right could reach the 
more advanced fence occupied by the First New Jersey, a dis- 
mounted regiment from W. H. F. Lee's brigade advanced in 
line to the support of the enemy's skirmishers, who were 
about to be cut off by the detachment sent out from Rum- 
mel's, and made a terrific onslaught along the line. Treichel's 
and Rogers' squadrons of the Third Pennsylvania, and that 
portion of the Fifth Michigan which had reached their line, 
held the ground stubbornly. After a while, when the fire had 
slackened, Treichel and Rogers, who had been ordered to re- 
tire when the Fifth Michigan came up, endeavored to with- 
draw their men. The enemy, believing it a signal of retreat, 
advanced. The Third Pennsylvanians came back upon the 
line, and again and again this was repeated. 

The First New Jersey remained at the line of fences until 
the last cartridge was used and the last pistol emptied, and 
then fell back upon the supports in the woods. This move- 
ment was taken advantage of by the enemy, and the First 
Virginia was ordered forward for a mounted charge upon our 
right centre. As it was seen to start, Mcintosh rode over 
quickly to the Lott house, where he had left the First Mary- 
land prepared for such an emergency. Gregg, however, upon 
coming on the field had moved the regiment over to the right 
of the Salem Church road, to guard more effectually that im- 
portant quarter. The Seventh Michigan, which was to take 
its place, was just then coming on the field from the direction 



20 

of the Reever house in column of fours. Custer, who was 
near, also saw the emergency, ordered close column of squad- 
rons to be formed at the gallop, and advanced with it to meet 
the attack. 

As the First New Jersey fell back, the right of the two 
Third Pennsylvania squadrons, and that portion of the Fifth 
Michigan which had reached them, swung back behind the 
fence which ran parallel with the line of the charging column, 
and intersecting the field lengthwise. 

The Seventh Michigan, a new regiment, advanced boldly to 
meet the First Virginia, but on coming up to the stone and 
rail fence, instead of pushing across it, began firing with their 
repeating carbines. The First Virginia came on in spite of 
the heavy fire until it reached the fence from the other side. 
Both regiments fought face to face across the fence with their 
carbines and revolvers, while a scorching fire was centred 
upon the First Virginia from either flank. The enemy's dis- 
mounted line also came up, and assisted the First Virginia to 
pass the fence, whereupon the Seventh Michigan gave way in 
disorder, the enemy following in close pursuit. 

The First Virginia becoming strung out by this movement, 
was exposed to a terrific fire from the two batteries in front, 
and the heavy skirmish lines on the flanks, while some of the 
Fifth Michigan, who had succeeded in mounting, advanced 
to assist the Seventh. It was more than even their gallantry 
could stand, and the First Virginia fell back on the supports 
which were fast advancing to its assistance. This was about 
three o'clock. 

Just then there appeared in the distance, turning the point 
of woods on the cross-road by the Stallsmith farm, a brigade 
of cavalry. It was manifest to every one that unless this, 
the grandest attack of all, was checked, the fate of the day 
would be decided against the Army of the Potomac. It was 
Stuart's last reserve and his last resource, for, if the Balti- 
more pike was to be reached and havoc created in our rear, 
the critical moment had arrived, as Pickett was even then 
moving up to the assault of Cemetery Ridge. 

In close columns of squadrons, advancing as if in review, 
with sabres drawn and glistening like silver in the bright sun- 



21 

light, the spectacle called forth a murmur of admiration. It 
was indeed a memorable one. Chester, being- nearest, opened 
at once with his section, at the distance of three-fourths of a 
mile. Pennington and Kinney soon did the same. Canister 
and percussion shell were put into the steadily approaching 
columns as fast as the guns could fire. The dismounted men 
fell back to the right and left, and such as could got to their 
horses. The mounted skirmishers rallied and fell into line. 
Then Gregg rode over to the First Michigan, which, as it had 
come upon the field some time before, had formed close col- 
umn of squadrons between and supporting the batteries, and 
ordered it to charge. As Colonel Town ordered sabres to be 
drawn and the column to advance, Custer dashed up with 
similar orders and placed himself at its head. The two col- 
umns drew nearer and nearer, the Confederates outnumbering 
their opponents as three or four to one. The gait increased — 
first the trot, then the gallop. Hampton's battle-flag floated 
in the van of the brigade.* The orders of the Confederate 
officers could be heard by those in the woods on their 
left: "Keep to your sabres, men! keep to your sabres!" 
for the lessons they had learned at Brandy Station and at Aldie 
had been severe. There the cry had been : " Put up your sa- 
bres! Draw your pistols and fight like gentlemen!" But the 
sabre was never a favorite weapon with the Confederate cav- 
alry, and now, in spite of the lessons of the past, the warn- 
ings of the present were not heeded by all. 

As the charge was ordered, the speed increased, every horse 
on the jump, every man yelling like a demon. The columns 
of the Confederates blended, but the perfect alignment was 
maintained. Chester put charge after charge of canister into 
their midst, his men bringing it up to the guns by the arm- 
ful. The execution was fearful, but the long rents closed 
up at once. As the opposing columns drew nearer and 
nearer, each with perfect alignment, every man gathered his 
horse well under him and gripped his weapon the tighter. 
Though ordered to retire his guns, towards which the head 



* Stuart, in his official report, states that this force consisted of the First North 
Carolina Cavalry and Jeff Davis Legion, but that gradually the greater portion of his 
command became involved in the hand-to-hand fighting. 



22 

of the assaulting column was directed, Chester kept on 
until the enemy were within fifty yards, and the head of the 
First Michigan had come into the line of his fire. Staggered 
by the fearful execution from the two batteries, the men 
in the front line of the Confederate column drew in their 
horses and wavered. Some turned, and the column fanned 
out to the right and left, but those behind came pressing on. 
Custer, seeing the front men hesitate, shouted, "Come on, you 
Wolverines!" and with a fearful yell the First Michigan rushed 
on, Custer four lengths ahead. 

Mcintosh, as he saw the Confederate column advancing, 
sent his Adjutant-General, Captain Walter S. Newhall, to the 
left, with orders to Treichel and Rogers to rally their men for 
a charge on the flank as it passed. But sixteen men could 
get their horses, and with five officers they made for the bat- 
tle-flag. Newhall, back once more with the men of his own 
regiment, who, as he knew well, would go anywhere, and 
sharing the excitement of the moment, rushed in by the side 
of Treichel and Rogers at the head of the little band. Miller, 
whose squadron of the Third Pennsylvania was already 
mounted and had rallied, fired a volley from the woods on 
the right as the Confederate column passed parallel with his 
line but one hundred yards off, and then, with sabres drawn, 
charged down into the overwhelming masses of the enemy. 

The small detachment of the Third Pennsylvania under 
Treichel and Rogers struck the enemy first, all making for 
the color-guard. Newhall was about seizing the flag when a 
sabre blow, directed at his head, compelled him to parry it. 
At the same moment the color-bearer lowered his spear and 
struck Newhall full in the face, tearing open his mouth and 
knocking him senseless to the ground. Every officer and 
nearly every man in the little band was killed or wounded, 
although some succeeded in cutting their way clear through. 
Almost at the same moment Miller, with his squadron of the 
Third Pennsylvania, struck the left flank about two-thirds of 
the way down the column. Going through and through, he 
cut off the rear portion and drove it back past Rummel's 
almost up to the Confederate battery, and nothing but the 



23 

heavy losses which he had suffered and the scattering of his 
men prevented his going further, wounded though he was. 

In the meantime the heads of the two columns had met — 
the one led by Hampton and Fitz Lee, (for he, too, was there,) 
and the other by Custer — and were fighting hand to hand. 
Mcintosh, with his staff and orderlies, and such scattered 
men from the Michigan and other regiments as he could get 
together, charged in with their sabres. For minutes, which 
seemed like hours, amid the clashing of the sabres, the rattle 
of the small arms, the frenzied imprecations, the demands to 
surrender, the undaunted replies and the appeals for mercy, 
the Confederate column stood its ground. Captain Thomas 
of the staff, seeing that a little more was needed to turn the 
tide, cut his way over to the woods on the right, where he 
knew he could find Hart, with his fresh squadron of the First 
New Jersey. In the melee, near the colors, was an officer of 
high rank, and the two headed the squadron for that part 
of the fight. They came within reach of him with their 
sabres, and then it was that Wade Hampton was wounded. 

By this time the edges of the Confederate column had 
begun to fray away, and the outside men to turn back. As 
Hart's squadron, and the other small parties who had rallied 
and mounted, poured down from all sides, the enemy turned. 
Then followed a pell-mell rush, our men in close pursuit. 
Many prisoners were captured, and many of our men, through 
their impetuosity, were carried away by the overpowering 
current of the retreat.* 

The pursuit was kept up past Rummel's, and the enemy 
were driven back into the woods beyond. The line of fences 
and the farm buildings, which constituted the key-point of 
the field, and which, in the beginning of the fight, had been 
in the possession of the enemy, remained in ours until the 
end. All serious fighting for the day was over, for Pickett's 



■•■■ The successful result of this magnilicent cavalry charge was attributed by the 
victors to the steadiness- and efficiency with which they used the sabre en masse, against 
greatly superior numbers, many of whom had exchanged that weapon for the revolver. 
It should be a strong point, in the present discussions, in favor of the retention of the 
sabre as a cavalryman's weapon. 



24 

simultaneous assault had also been repulsed, and the victory 
along the line was complete. Skirmishing, and some desultory 
artillery firing, was kept up at intervals by both forces until 
after nightfall, these disturbances being caused by the en- 
emy's endeavors to recover their killed and wounded, who 
were lying thickly strewn over the field in our possession. 
At dark Stuart withdrew to the York pike, preparatory to 
covering the retreat of Lee's army towards the Potomac. In 
the evening Custer's brigade was ordered to join its division. 
Gregg remained all night in possession of the field, and in the 
morning started in pursuit of the retreating enemy. 

The losses of the Confederate cavalry were unmistakably 
heavy, but have not been ascertained. General Gregg report- 
ed the losses in his division to be one officer and thirty-three 
enlisted men killed, seventeen officers and forty enlisted men 
wounded, and one officer and one hundred and three enlisted 
men missing — total, one hundred and ninety-five. These 
losses were suffered principally by the Third Pennsylvania and 
First New Jersey Cavalry regiments, which had borne the 
brunt of the fighting of the division. By the time the Third 
Brigade had come up, the Michigan Brigade had gotten so 
deeply into the fight that it could not be withdrawn. The 
Third Brigade had consequently been held in reserve close 
at hand during the fight, drawn up in position south of the 
Bonaughtown road on either side of the Salem Church road. 

Custer in his official report stated his losses to be nine 
officers and sixty-nine enlisted men killed, twenty-five officers 
and two hundred and seven enlisted men wounded, and seven 
officers and two hundred and twenty-five enlisted men miss- 
ing — total, five hundred and forty-two. 

It has been claimed that Gregg's fight at Gettysburg was 
the finest cavalry fight of the war. To borrow the language 
of Custer in his report of it: "I challenge the annals of war- 
fare to produce a more brilliant or successful charge of cav- 
alry than the one just recounted." 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



013 701 9S2 9 






